


The Lonely Brand

by booktick



Category: MASH (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Flirting, Denial of Feelings, Episode: s04e21 The Novocaine Mutiny, Falling In Love, Flirting, Guilt, Implied "Trapper" John McIntyre/Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, Implied Relationships, M/M, Nervousness, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 01:20:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17152637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/booktick/pseuds/booktick
Summary: "Have I ever told you I like a man in uniform?"





	The Lonely Brand

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own none of this franchise.

* * *

If Frank Burns ever looked at Hawk funny again, he had it in his right mind to slug the guy. BJ would make sure to be careful and precise--he was a surgeon after all. He didn't need a wounded hand because of Frank Burns' big mouth. But damn it. Frank had dragged Hawkeye through the mud and tried to ruin not only his name but life. He had heard of Frank's past efforts to take jabs at Hawk and...well, _Trapper John_.

It just wasn't fair. All Hawk ever did was take care of his patients and crack a few jokes here and there. Hell, anyone would in this place. It wasn't like Hawk was throwing medical supplies out the window and stealing from the camp--despite Frank's insistence. Okay, that was maybe half true, Hawk did steal hearts. He'd give Frank that and only that. The guy definitely stole his.

He couldn't help it. Even Peg had taken notice in all his letters since he arrived how much he cared for Hawkeye. He had been thrown into this war and there was this grinning clown from Maine, ready to pull him back up when he fell. His favorite clown. He had shown up right after Hawkeye's _other_ friend had left, had literally shown up on probably one of Hawkeye's worst mornings. Ten lousy minutes, Hawkeye had said. At least Radar didn't remind him of it. Ten minutes can be a lifetime on a bad day. 

And what had he done to improve the day? He had fallen in the mud and must have been the clumsiest doctor in all of Korea, or at least all of the 4077. Not only had he slid face first into the mud, but he had ended up hurling his insides out in a field after a group of soldiers were attacked and what had Hawkeye done? Ran over to him. Even held him, as long as possible, which wasn't much at that time. He still felt a bit if guilt for that. He just hadn't really...expected to see what it was like so soon. It was so much worse than what the radio said, what they said on film. He wasn't sure what he would have done without Hawkeye. 

And Hawk, well, Hawk had seen a lot more than he had by that time. Frank had no right to try and shame Hawk like that. At least there was a silver lining, he did get to see Hawkeye all dressed up. In fact, even with Potter and Radar trotting off to find Frank, who had God knows where, he couldn't help but stare at one Hawkeye Pierce. 

Hawkeye, on the other hand, didn't seem to have a care in the world. His fellow doctor was looking at his hands, flexing fingers and tilting his hand some. Was Hawk having similar thoughts about potentially slogging Frank Burns? The idea had a smile begin to creep on his lips, and he stepped closer to his friend.

"Beautiful manicure." BJ nodded, "Really suits you."

"You think?" A similar smile grew on Hawk's face as he looked to BJ, "I just had it done. Do you think Margaret will be jealous?" Hawkeye beamed, brighter than the Sun.

"You'll be the envy of the camp." His stare was full of only warmth. It spread over Hawkeye's face the more BJ stared, only looking away once he caught Hawk's lips in his view.

He began to fiddle with his hat but he could see Hawk's shoes move. BJ only looked up when he felt a hand at his elbow. His smile fell away from his cheeks and he blinked far too much. Was it suddenly hot? It felt too hot. He tried to swallow and found his mouth dry. His tongue heavy as he desperately tried to speak. 

"Something wrong, Beej?" It was Hawkeye who spoke first.

"Huh?" He raised his eyebrows, "Oh yeah. Just thinking." He gestured to Hawkeye.

"Oh-the uniform?" 

Instead of a ' _Yeah, hardly see you in it'_ or even a ' _Green is definitely your color, Hawk',_ instead of all the hundreds of things he could have said to his best friend, the surgeon, Hawkeye Pierce, no, no, he chose to say:

"Have I ever told you I like a man in uniform?" He uses his hat to gently tap Hawkeye's chest, "It becomes you. Truly."

That earned BJ a laugh. It was a welcomed reward. If he could get his new best friend to laugh, it was worth any set of nerves. He reached, his hand covering the one at his elbow. It felt nice, the way Hawkeye's fingers lined up with his. He patted the hand once before, without much thought put into it, his thumb started to stroke the hand.

"Well, _Dr. Hunnicutt_ , you _flatter_ me." Hawkeye's smile changed into something more, not quite a grin.

"You should see what I do when it isn't daylight hours." His fingers ran over Hawkeye's knuckles, feeling the heat. That must have been why it was suddenly so hot...

But Hawk just had to be himself, "Are you trying to seduce me, sir? I hear you're married."

Oh. Right. Peg, his wife. The love of his life.  _That_   _Peg_.

The tension spreads through him like a fire. He blinks slower, before he turns his body away from Hawk. He cleared his throat and gestured to the open air but he can feel the shift. Hawk's hand falls away from his elbow, brushing his side which he passes off as an accident right away. Hawkeye doesn't say anything now, only keeps staring at him as if searching for something that's unknown to him.

This is his fault, trying to lighten the mood and trade friendly jabs. His jabs just hit too close to his big ol' California heart. The damn thing was certainly big enough to hold the entire state--that's what Peg always said. But, jeez, he couldn't even collect himself with Hawkeye now. He's made things awkward again. He seems so good at that when he's alone with Hawkeye Pierce.

He lets out what can only be described as inner panic. It's meant to sound like how they usually joke around but it falters and cracks. He looks back to Hawkeye and Hawkeye still has that smile that wasn't a smile but wasn't exactly a grin either. It tosses butterflies all along his insides. He gripped his hat far too tight in one hand.

"Listen, Hawk-"

But Hawkeye threw up a hand, the not quite a grin slipping away "Say no more. Say no more, Captain Hunnicutt." A step closer was taken soon after.

With another step, green met green and their uniforms were touching. It wasn't enough to really wrinkle anything. It was enough, however, to feel Hawk's chest to his. They were so close to each other and all his worries and anger about Frank Burns vanished from him. Hawkeye wasn't making any smart remarks too, just stood there, pressed against him again in a very unlike Hawkeye way. It wasn't exactly the first time this had happened but it didn't change the way he felt inside, how his body responded, with Hawk so close to him.

He could practically feel Hawkeye's breath on his cheeks. The heat that had been in the surgeon's hands now on BJ's lips. He wouldn't know what to say Colonel Potter, nonetheless Radar, if they both walked in on...whatever this was. But BJ couldn't look away this time, couldn't if he tried to. His eyes stuck with Hawk's, even as fingers touched his jaw. 

"Did Trapper ever compliment your uniform?" BJ finds himself whispering.

"No." Hawkeye's eyes leaves his, finds his lips like had done to Hawk earlier, "Trapper didn't."

Probably didn't do a lot of things. No, he wasn't about to let some stranger crawl inside his mind. He had to focus...somehow. BJ swallowed hard as Hawk trailed a thumb over his lis lips, which parted easily for Hawkeye. His own fingers reached, touching Hawkeye's arms. Did Trapper touch Hawk like this? Did Trapper ever touch Hawk? Did Hawk ever want him to...

"Hawk-" BJ starts to say. 

But footsteps are heavy against ground and both immediately pull away. The air between them is too much, even now. He wants nothing more than to ask Hawkeye why he did that, if they could do more of that. He had read Peg's letters, enough to read between the lines, but a small part of him was...afraid. Hawkeye was the first friend he made in Korea, Radar a second of course.

He didn't want to rock the boat. What if this was...just fun and games for Hawkeye? Maybe he should just laugh and smile and everything will go back to how it was the day before.

He stands there, placing his hat upon his head. In through the doors walk the arguing trio, Frank still insisting on making sure his record was squeaky clean and Colonel Potter with "The last thing I want to hear from you, Burns, is let's go, sir. Alright?"

"Yes, sir. Let's go, sir." Frank immediately caved, only sneering when he realized BJ and Hawkeye were still here.

Neither BJ nor Hawkeye try to move closer to one another as they follow the trio out of the place. BJ makes sure to keep his distance, just in case their hands touch by accident. Hawkeye's heat was gone and his body hurt. He had no idea what that meant, maybe Peg would if he wrote. His self felt...off. It had since he met Hawkeye. And as his arms swing at his sides, for once, BJ Hunnicutt doesn't know what to do with his hands.


End file.
